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The controversies surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, briefly explained
He texted attack plans to a journalist, but the defense secretary’s problems go well beyond that.
Patrick Reis was the senior politics and ideas editor at Vox. He previously worked at Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Politico, National Journal, and Seattle’s Real Change News. As a reporter and editor, he has worked on coverage of campaign politics, economic policy, the federal death penalty, climate change, financial regulation, and homelessness.
Welcome to The Logoff: Today I’m focusing on the controversy surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as reports of mismanagement and dysfunction in his office suggest he’s unfit for one of the administration’s most important jobs.
What’s going on with Hegseth? He has been under scrutiny since before his confirmation, when senators and others raised concerns about his treatment of women and issues with alcohol. Last month, Hegseth shared sensitive information about an upcoming military strike on a nonsecure group chat. (The world found out about it because a staffer accidentally included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in the chat.)
Things haven’t gotten any better over the past week, in which:
- Multiple outlets reported that Hegseth had shared sensitive information about the strike in a second chat, one that included his brother and lawyer (who both have Pentagon jobs) and his wife (who does not).
- Three top officials Hegseth brought to the Defense Department have been suspended in connection with a Pentagon investigation into leaks.
- A fourth member of his team quit and wrote an op-ed for Politico accusing Hegseth of presiding over dysfunction, calling on President Donald Trump to fire him.
- The New York Times this morning reported that Hegseth “had been unable to establish a process to ensure that basic, but essential, matters move swiftly” through his office.
Is Hegseth going to get fired? NPR reported yesterday that the White House had begun the process of looking for Hegseth’s replacement, but White House officials, including Trump, have repeatedly denied any plans to oust him.
Why does this matter outside the Pentagon? The defense secretary is the civilian official tasked with overseeing the world’s most powerful military and with reacting quickly to major geopolitical crises. If Hegseth isn’t up to the task of managing his own office — and if he’s continually sloppy with sensitive information — his presence in the role poses a risk to national security.
And with that, it’s time to log off…
It’s Earth Day, and I have more good news today from Vox’s Escape Velocity project, a package of stories demonstrating how progress on climate change can and will continue under the current administration. One of today’s pieces is about developments in home battery technology, and how it can help avoid blackouts and diminish demand for dirty energy. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.
